Sony MDR-1RNC

Noise cancelling and celebrity-endorsed headphones are two of the biggest categories in big headphones. You can thank Beats for that, I suppose. In one hand, I've got the MDR-1RNC which apparently are not endorsed by the Republican National Committee. At least, I don't think. They've got digital noise cancelling (the headphones, not the Republicans) and some great design and build quality.In my other hand I've got the shiny MDR-X10's which are "unique and powerful headphones designed by Sony and Simon Cowell." Yeah, they're unique all right.Six ears give a listen to create one verdict (Well, OK, technically two verdicts).

The Sony MDR-1A are comfortable, critical listening over-ears that deliver a satisfying and well-balanced sound quality. They have a sleek-looking design, and th...

The Sony MDR1-RNC offers laudable audio quality and solid noise cancellation, but despite top-notch performance, it's priced too high.

Prestigious, stylish, decent sounding - there's a lot of good to be said for the MDR-1RNC headphones. But the huge price and stripped-back sound of

High in luxury, with slightly mixed noise-cancelling